How Many Hours of Sleep Do I Need?

How much sleep we need depends on a mix of factors, like age, genetics, lifestyle, our sleep cycle and activity levels, so there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. That said, the general rule is that the younger we are, the more sleep we need. While toddlers (1-2 years) need 11-14 hours, most doctors agree that adults (18-60) should aim for 7 hours or more. This is because toddlers are still in the process of growing, and sleep is vital to support growth and brain development.

So, let’s examine the number of hours we should spend sleeping, what can affect it, and how to determine what’s right for us.

Technically, yes! While 8 hours works for many, sleep needs are highly individual. The amount of sleep you require depends on your physical and emotional health, lifestyle, and even genetics. Some people may thrive on 6 hours, while others need 9 or more.

Interestingly, the 8-hour rule is not as natural as we think. In his new book How to Sleep Like a Caveman: Ancient Wisdom for a Better Night’s Rest, psychologist Merijn van de Laar explains that the 8-hour sleep cycle was actually invented during the Industrial Revolution. Before then, people’s sleep was more flexible and in sync with natural rhythms, often with segmented periods of rest. Van de Laar suggests that instead of forcing ourselves into a rigid 8-hour schedule, we should listen to our bodies and adapt our sleep habits to fit our own needs—just as our ancient ancestors did.

Your age is the most significant factor determining how much sleep you need, although there’s no magic number as – that’s right – everyone is different. The key factor for understanding how much sleep you need is to listen to your body.

If you find yourself groggy each morning, you may need to alter how many hours you get each night. That said, a good first step is using the recommended hours as a starting point.

These are the recommended hours of sleep by age group, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention:

While it’s advised to aim for a rough quantity of sleep, quality is also important for feeling rested and allowing the body to rejuvenate.

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is when your brain consolidates memories, develops your central nervous system, and helps regulate emotions. It’s also the stage where dreams happen.

Like deep sleep, there’s no exact recommended amount of REM sleep. However, studies suggest it makes up about a quarter of our total sleep. For infants, it’s even more, with around half of their sleep being spent in REM.

Sleeping may seem like your time to relax, rest, and dream; however, sleep has more impact on your health and lifestyle than you might think. Your quality of sleep is directly linked to and affects how you feel during the day and your physical and mental health. Here are several reasons why a good night’s sleep is important:

• It regulates the hormones that control your appetite, metabolism, growth, and healing
• Boosts productivity, concentration, focus and creativity
• Improves reaction time, speed, and athletic performance
• Regulates and aids with weight management
• Promotes a healthy heart by reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke
• Helps to heal illness and boosts your immune system
• Lowers risks for chronic health conditions
• It can help with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety

Not getting enough sleep can have a big impact on both your body and mind. It can affect your mood, making you feel irritable or anxious and can lead to impaired cognitive function, impacting your ability to make decisions, consolidate memories and concentrate.

Over time, a lack of sleep can also weaken the immune system, leaving you more susceptible to illnesses. A continued lack of sleep is even linked to a higher risk of serious health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain.

If you regularly don’t get enough sleep, you could end up with sleep deprivation. With this, your body will likely signal that you need to sleep more. These symptoms include:

• Falling asleep or being drowsy during the day
• Being irritable and moody
• Lack of motivation and not as productive
• Struggle to focus and might have trouble remembering
• Decision-making and judgement are harder
• You may be more hungry than usual, causing weight gain
• Physical changes appear, such as dark circles under the eye or a generally dull complexion
• Your immune system may be weak, leading to sickness
• You’re depressed or anxious and generally in a low mood

If your sleep is interrupted a lot, you may need more hours of sleep to compensate for the lack of quality sleep you’re receiving, which is referred to as “sleep debt”. It means that there’s a discrepancy between how much sleep you need and how much you’re actually getting.

Unfortunately, it’s fairly easy to accumulate sleep debt. Even missing an hour every day can add up to an entire night’s worth of sleep lost. According to research, it can take up to 4 days to recover for every 1 hour of sleep debt.

If you spent the night tossing and turning or stayed up too late doom-scrolling, then you may feel exhausted when your alarm goes off. Of course, you can use caffeine, power foods, and even a nap to shake the grogginess, but it won’t make up for the lost time. Thankfully, you can recover from sleep debt with some good habits. Consistency is key when it comes to getting decent slumber, so if you do have a few bad nights, it’s important to get back to a healthy routine as soon as possible.

To get started, read our article on how to sleep better at night.

If you’ve ever enviously watched your pet snooze all day and wondered if you should have a quick kip, too, then we’re here to tell you that napping can have some great benefits. While humans have evolved to sleep more efficiently and so don’t require as much sleep as other animals, sometimes a nap is just what you need. Take a look at our guide to napping to find out more about the benefits, the ideal length, and when is best to get your shut-eye into your schedule.

If you consistently feel so sleepy during the day that you can’t focus or stay awake, you’re probably lacking restful sleep the night before. Try to fix your night time routine, and don’t let yourself nap in the late afternoon or evening, as this can disrupt your sleep patterns.

Want to know where your sleep habits stand compared to the rest of the nation? In our UK Sleep Survey, we found people, on average, spend 6 hours in bed actually sleeping, a 1.7% increase since 2022:

• 15% spend between 0 to 4 hours asleep
• 45% spend between 5 to 6 hours asleep
• 34% spend 7 to 8 hours asleep
• And only 4% spend 9 hours or more getting some shut-eye

Find out more sleep stats and insights in the full UK Sleep Survey 2024.

Getting yourself into a routine and adopting these healthy habits during the day and at night can help you get more sleep. We’ll explore some tips below:

During the day:

• Exercising can be a good way to tire your body out, but make sure you work out a few hours before bed to give your body time to wind down, or it might lead to trouble shutting off.
• Increasing your exposure to sunlight during the day can help maintain your body’s natural circadian rhythm, which can help you feel tired as the day ends.
• If you decide to take a nap, do so in the earlier part of the day. Taking a nap in the late afternoon can throw off your sleep cycle, and you’ll feel wide awake when it comes to going to sleep later.
• Try to establish a sleep schedule and routine. Waking up and going to sleep at the same time helps your body clock.

Before bed:

• Try to limit or avoid alcohol, caffeine, and sugary foods; these can interrupt your sleep.
• Switch off electronics at least 30 minutes before going to bed. The blue light from devices can stimulate your brain and make it harder to fall asleep.
• Set some time aside to relax and wind down before bed, whether this is meditation, taking a bath, or listening to music.
• Shortly before sleeping, keep your room cool and dark; this will help you fall asleep more easily. Read more about the best temperature for sleeping to help you drift off.

If you struggle to get enough sleep or don’t feel rested, there are plenty of reasons and remedies. In fact, this is what this whole blog is about. We want to help you understand your body and sleep better at night. Browse our articles below on some of the most common sleep problems that might keep you awake and find some solutions.

Remember, if you struggle with chronic under or oversleeping, then it’s important to contact your GP to see if there is a more serious underlying cause.